7.30 pm Friday January 16th 2026

Valentine was Royal Correspondent on The Times for over 20 years and has a peerless knowledge of the Royal Family and its workings.

With the departure of both Harry and Meghan and the disgraced Prince Andrew from royal life, the complex relationship between modern courtiers and royal principals has been exposed to global scrutiny.

William and Kate - equipped with a very 21st Century approach to Press and public relations - now hold the responsibility of making an ancient institution relevant for the decades to come.

Over the years, Valentine has revealed how the Royal Family really operates and asked the important questions - who really runs the show and what will happen next? A vast team of people, hidden from view, steers the Royal Family's path between public duty and private life. The question of who is entrusted to guide the royals has never been more vital - and the task those courtiers face has never been more challenging.

In his book, Courtiers, Valentine revealed an ever-changing web of complex characters, shifting values and ideas over what the future of the institution should be. It is the story of how the monarchy really works at a pivotal moment in its history.

In addition to writing about the monarchy, Valentine has chronicled life on his allotment in London, featured in his book One Man and His Dig which was described as a "guidebook for green-fingered urbanites". He has also had a column on the art of playing poker.





If you are interested in attending this talk or would like to reserve a ticket please Email Us With Your Name and Contact Phone Number Email Us

(Children over 16 welcome) Entry is £10 in cash and includes free food, featuring delicious sandwiches and sumptuous rocky-roads., with wine and soft drinks available for a modest donation

7.30 pm Friday February 6th 2026

Julie makes a much-anticipated return to the Talks for our 150th event to talk about her official history of British Vogue

In recent years, Julie has spoken brilliantly in Wootton about George Mallory and Sandy Irvine (her great-uncle) who may have been the first to summit Mount Everest in the 1920s - as well as her grandfather, Colonel Philip Toosey, and his involvement with the Bridge on the River Kwai in World War Two

But for our landmark evening, she will be breaking new ground and talking about her book, British Vogue - Fashion, Power and a Century of Change, which took four years to research and write, combing through 1,800 issues

Vogue has always been far more than just a fashion magazine. For more than a century it has defined the tastes and style of successive generations, playing a leading role in the continuing story of Britain’s national identity.

It is an institution, a major business and a character in its own right - but the true nature of that character has always been a closely-guarded secret, sealed within the walls of an intensely private empire. It has always been mysterious, defined by a select and talented team who contribute to a unique enterprise.

Founded in 1916 as a remedy to wartime shipping restrictions faced by the American publisher Condé Nast, British Vogue has forged its own path from the very start. From the trauma of the wartime years through to the freedom of the Swinging Sixties, the rise of the supermodel to the ground-breaking editorial direction of Edward Enninful, the first black Editor-in-Chief - the magazine’s chameleonic ability to move with the times has ensured its perennial status at the vanguard of British cool. And now, for the first time, Julie has told its turbulent and glamorous history

She was given unique access to images from the Vogue archive and behind-the-scenes interviews with Vogue insiders such as stylist Grace Coddington, longest-serving Editor Alexandra Shulman (who spoke at our 100th event) and Fashion Editor, Lucinda Chambers. It is the story of a legend and the individuals who created (and curated) it, told against the backdrop of an extraordinary century of change, upheaval and beauty.





If you are interested in attending this talk or would like to reserve a ticket please Email Us With Your Name and Contact Phone Number Email Us

(Children over 16 welcome) Entry is £10 in cash and includes free food, featuring delicious sandwiches and sumptuous rocky-roads., with wine and soft drinks available for a modest donation